European workers upbeat about jobs despite low engagement, says Gallup poll

European workers are increasingly optimistic about their chances of finding a new job, despite having some of the worst engagement levels of any employees in the world, according to new Gallup research. The results of the poll suggest that over half (57 percent) of European employees thought it was a good time to find a job in their local market in 2025, maintaining record highs and representing the region’s strongest increase in job optimism since 2011.

At the same time, employee engagement across Europe remains stubbornly low. Gallup said only a small minority of workers described themselves as engaged at work, with disengaged employees continuing to outnumber engaged colleagues across the region. Europe has recorded the lowest engagement levels globally for several consecutive years.

The findings point to a growing disconnect between how workers view the wider labour market and how they feel about their current roles. While many employees appear confident they could secure another position, far fewer report feeling motivated, enthusiastic or emotionally connected to their work.

Gallup also found that nearly half of European workers are considered to be “thriving” in their overall lives, well above the global average, suggesting that dissatisfaction at work is not necessarily translating into broader unhappiness.

The report argues that poor management and weak workplace cultures continue to undermine engagement across much of Europe. Gallup pointed to examples of companies where engagement levels reach as high as 60 percent, typically where employers invest more heavily in training, coaching and employee development. However, the report also concedes that European managers aren’t significantly worse at people management than their peers elsewhere, even though they ‘haven’t cracked the leadership code on engaging employees as much as their counterparts in other regions’.

The findings come as employers across Europe continue to face pressure from economic uncertainty, demographic change and the growing impact of artificial intelligence on work. Gallup warned that persistently low engagement could have implications for productivity and long-term economic growth across the region.